Diego Valeri, in flight. Portland Timbers FC We’ll start with a soccer story. Diego Valeri’s nine years in Portland were about much more than soccer, but this goal in March, 2013, all the way back at the beginning, is as natural an entry point as any. It was one of the first signs that Valeri […]
Abe Asher
Abe Asher covers city news, politics, and soccer for the Portland Mercury. His reporting has appeared in The Nation, VICE News, Sahan Journal, and other outlets.
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: Charges Against Bean Dropped, Wheeler Nominated for “Clown of the Year,” and Voting Rights Bills Expected to Fail
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! “And now may I introduce my fellow DESTROYER OF DEMOCRACY, Sen. Kyrsten […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: Unions File Complaint Against City, Proud Boy Toese Arrested, and COVID Numbers Fall in Northeast
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Proud Boy Tusitala “Tiny” Toese has been arrested for his violent actions […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: Hemp Can Help Fight COVID, Pay Dispute at County, and Housing Costs Rise Again
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Oregon State researchers think compounds derived from hemp could help fight COVID. […]
Posted inNews
Good Afternoon, News: New Metro Councilor, Tigard-Tualatin Schools Move Online, and Students Organize for COVID Safety
The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! Students join teachers in NYC to demand safer COVID protocols and remote […]
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Fred Meyer and QFC Workers Begin Week-Long Strike
Workers rally outside a Fred Meyer store on NE Glisan Friday morning. Isabella Garcia Update 12/18, 9 am: The worker strike has come to an end, 24 hours after it began, after Kroger management and union members reached a contract agreement late Friday. Original story 12/17, 12 pm: With just more than a week to […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Fred Meyer, QFC Workers Are Prepared to Strike Friday
Getty Images / Lori Butcher Workers at Fred Meyer and QFC locations across the Portland metro area have voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike as soon as Friday as tensions over a contract negotiation and unfair labor practice grievances mount. “We have put out that if we do not have a deal by […]
Posted inSports
They, and We, Showed Up: The Timbers and the Heartbreaking MLS Cup
Timbers midfielder Diego Valeri walks back towards the center circle after his penalty kick was saved by New York City’s Sean Johnson. Portland Timbers FC As Oregon’s poet laureate Anis Mojgani said in a video preceding Saturday’s MLS Cup between the Portland Timbers and New York City FC at Providence Park, this town shows up. […]
Posted inTimbers
The Timbers Host MLS Cup on Saturday. Here’s What To Expect.
Timbers manager Giovanni Savarese celebrates with his players after Portland beat Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference Final. Portland Timbers FC Had the season ended several weeks ago, we might have written this was the year that Portland fell out of love with the Timbers. After selling out every single regular season home match […]
Posted inHousing
How Will Oregon Address Its Growing Affordable Housing Crisis?
JESSE TISE In early November, Josh Lehner, an economist with the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, delivered a simple message to the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland: housing prices in Oregon are going to continue to rise. Lehner’s presentation noted short-term issues in housing construction like labor and supply shortages that are partially responsible […]
Posted inNews
Last-Minute Negotiations Avert Planned Kaiser Healthcare Workers Strike
Kaiser nurses working at a drive-thru COVID-19 test site in 2020. JUSTIN SULLIVAN / GETTY IMAGES Healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente and an alliance of unions representing tens of thousands of its workers tentatively agreed to a new four-year contract over the weekend, averting what would have been one the largest healthcare worker strikes in American […]
Posted inSports
Thorns Fans Are Still Waiting For “Organizational Change” After Riley Scandal
Portland Thorns fans during a May 2021 match. Steph Chambers / Getty Images Two-and-a-half years ago, the Portland Timbers were locked in a fight threatening their relationship with their most visible supporters: Major League Soccer had decided to ban supporters from displaying the antifascist Iron Front logo in stadiums, and supporters were irate. At one […]